Method of filling tires with liquid



June 11, 1946. w. w. M MAHAN METHOD OF FILLING TIRES WITH LIQUID FiledFeb. 19, 1944 3mm MW/am 14/ /7a/Vafia/7 "Patented June 11, 1945 rMarne!) or FILLING mus Wicca broom William McMahan, Akron, Ohio,a'ssignor to' Wingioot Corporation,

j tion of Delaware Akron, Ohio, a corpora- Application February 19, ieiaseri i no. seaovi This invention relates to a method of filling tireswith liquid, and it refers especially tofllling tires of comparativelylarge cross-section such as areused on farm tractors and earth-movingmachinery, etc., and which contain inner tubes equipped with valves oftwo-piece construction to readily permit'the'inner mechanism of thevalve to be easily removed to allow the'free flow of liquid into thetire and quickly replaced when the liquid supply is disconnected fromthe valve stem. V

According to this invention a tire may be completely (100%) filled witha liquid. The liquid may consist entirely of water or the water maycontain calcium chloride or other salt to prevent freezing in coldweather.

An object of this invention is to completely fill a tire containing aninner tube witha liquid to the exclusion of all air that would otherwisebe trapped therein. If all is not excluded it escapes during the-use ofthe tire by seeping through the tire carcass, causing a drop of pressuretherein,

and requires frequent additions of liquid 'to keep the tire at a safeand proper working pressure.

This frequent addition of liquid will ordinarily be required'until allair has escaped and the tire is completely full of liquid. When the tireis properly mounted andfilled with liquid in the absenc of air,the'pressure will remain constant,

becausethere is no loss of the liquid due to seep-' age as there is withair. Thus it will be apparent that time,.trouble andworry will beeliminated and better operating conditions maintained without requiringa lot of special equipment.

The invention may be more readily understood from the followingdescription in connectionwith Figure" 3 shows a tire and the tube fromFigure 2 assembled on a wheel and the liquid supply hose beingconnected;

Figure. 4 shows the liquidsupply hose being disconnected;

' Figure 5 shows the tire and tube mounted on a wheel and completelyfilled with liquid; and

Figure 6 is-a cross-sectional view of one form' of two-piece valve usedin practicing this invention. 1

Referring to the drawing, the numeral i0 designates an inner tube laidout flat so that the valve H is at one end thereof. With the tube in 6Claims- (Ci. 152- 415) nut i3 which revolves independently of the body acommercial article and this position the upper ,or outer part it of the-valve 8 I; which contains the inner. mechanism or valve insides, isremoved by unscrewing the part I? by having .its outer edge turned overthe flange I5. Thus it'will be apparent that the upper part of the valve[2 may be quickly removed or replaced to permit a free passage of liquidinto or out of a tire'whichsaves much more time than would otherwise bepossible; This type valve is invention. I I

When the upper part of the valve.- or the valve inside is removed, thevalve stem H is suspended by 'a cord or wire i! so that it is elevatedsomewhat higher than the body of the tube i U. A

hose is equipped with a suitable fitting is con-'- nected to the valvestem and liquid under pressure is passed into the tube to about of itsfull capacity, after which the hose is disconnected. The end of the tubefarthest from-thevalve stem is then grasped and rolled as tightly aspossible toward the valve stem. This eXpels all air contained in thetube (see Figure 2) and when a solid stream of liquid void of air flowsfrom the valve stem, the top part of the valve is replaced, the tube isthen placed in a tire Hand the the mounted on a wheel 20. The assembly,is then rotated until the valve is in its lowermost position, the toppart of the valve again removed, and while liquid is flowing from saidtube the hose i8 is again connected to the valve stem. It is importantto also allow liquid to flow slowly from the hose, this prevents airthat may be trapped therein from entering the tube. By thus permittingwater to flow from the valve stem and hose while connection is made, aliquid seal is created which positively prevents air from'entering thetube.

By grasping the inner tube at its end farthest remote from the valvestem and rolling the tube body toward said valve the liquid that hasbeen forced into said inner tube and the trapped air therein is causedto be forced toward the valve and compacting oi the tube body, thetrapped air therein will bubble through theliquid and escape is not,claimed in this.

. v t v r 3 tube through-said valve stem while connecting ordisconnecting the liquid supply hose.

When the hose is connected to the'valve stem as described, liquid ispassed into the the under pressure and continues to pass therein untilthe 5 pressure is somewhat higher than that required under actual'wormngconditions. "Then the tire position (as shown in Figure 4), the hosedisis revolved so that the valve is in its uppermost valve insides,elevatingl the valvestem above the remainder of the tube, supplying thetube with liquid to about 25% 01' its full capacity, roiling the tubeuntil liquid flows fromsaid .valve stem and all air is expelled,replacing the valve insides, placing said tube in a tire and mountingsaid tire on a wheel with the valve'in' its lowermost position, removingsaid'valve insides, con-' necting a source of liquid under pressurewhile connected and the top part'of the valve containing the innnermechanism of the valve is ref placed in said valve stem, The wheeiwiththe tire mounted thereon is then placed on a tractor or machine on whichit is to be used and the pressure within-the tire adjusted to thedesiredl5 pressure by allowing the proper amount 02 liquid 1 to escape.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that by the methoddisclosed thereina tire I can be completely filled with a liquidwithoutthe use of special equipment, that only ordinary skill is required topractice the method-and the com; -plete initial" a of tires of thischaracter will save time and worry and will eliminate the most commoncause of the damage, that simmer tion. 7 What I claim is: 1. A method orfilling a tire containing an inner tube with liquid consisting of thefollowing steps: iaying the tube on a hat surface and arso ranging it sothat the valve is at one end thereof, removing the inner mechanism fromsaid valve, elevating the valve stem by suspension so that same is at asubstantially higher elevation,

liquid is flowing from said valve stem, and also I flowing slowly from'said source of supply, then filling the tire with liquid under pressureuntil the tirepressure is above normal working pressure, rotating thewheel so that the valve is in its uppermost position,-disconnecting thesource of liquid supply, replacing the valve insides, and

adjusting the tirepressureto normalworkin's requirement.

3. The method of completely filling a tire tube having a single valveopening with liquid and completely eliminating thepresen'ceoiairtherein, comprising the following-steps partially filling the tiretube with a liquid, rolling and compactme said tube to force the liquidinto a space in and'adjacent the valve stem, said space being of acapacity to contain the liquid only, whereby an is forced from said tubeand a liquid seal created and maintained in said valve-stem to permitconnecting and disconnecting a hose to said valve stem to fill said tubewith a liquid to a desired enter said pressure, without permitting airto tube.

'4. The method of filling a tire containing an i l inner tube completelyfull of liquid under presthan the remainder oi the tuheiniecting liquidunder pressure into said tube to about 25% of its full capacity, then,starting at a point most remote from the valve stem, tightly rolling thetube body, working the roll toward the valve stem from air flows fromthe valve stem, at this point replacing the inner valve mechanism, thenplacing the partially liquid-filled tube in a tire casin and mountingsaid the on a wheel, placing said until all air is'expelled and untilliquid tree 40 wheel with tire mounted thereon in a vertical potion isbeing made, then completely filling the tire with the liquidunderpressure, until the tire tube with liquid, compacting the tube forconfin-- pressure is above the normal pressure required,

disconnecting the source of liquid supply and re,- placing the innervalve mechanism, then adjust-'- ing the tire pressure to its normalworking requirement.

2. The method of filling a resilient vehicle with hquid solutioncomprising the following steps: providing an ted inner tube, spreadiugsame out on a flat surface and removing the sure comprising thefollowing steps: partially. filling the tube with a liquid, evacuatingtrapped I air from said tube by rolling and compacting said tube so thatthe spacein and adjacent the. valve stem is filled with, liquidtherebycreating a liquid seal so that air will be excluded from saidtube while the liquid supply line is connected and disconnected fromsaid valve stem. r

5. In the method of inflating an inner tube with liquid to theexclusionof all air comprising the steps of partially filling. the inner tubewith liquid, manipulating the inner tubeto expel the trapped airtherein, creating a liquid seal in the 1 valve stem of said tube, thenintroducing liquid only through said liquid seal to build up a desiredliquid pressure within said tube.

, c. The method of completely filling with liquid aniinn'er tube havinga single valve opening there in, comprising the steps of partiallyfilling the ing the liquid to a space in and adjacent to the valveopening until liquid alone occupies said space and seals the valveopening against the entire to trance of air to said tube and thereafterfilling the tube with liquid to the desired pressure whereby the tubewill be air.

entirely free of trapped

